1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to structural support systems, and particularly to a system for mounting compartments, shelves, bulletin boards and work surfaces on prefabricated walls and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Prefabricated or pre-engineered walls are well known in the construction industry and are extensively used in commercial, institutional and industrial buildings. Relatively low (i.e. about four to five feet high) walls are referred to in the industry as "partitions" and are commonly specified for "open" office plans wherein work stations or cubicles are provided with a certain measure of visual and acoustical privacy. For greater privacy, floor-to-ceiling prefabricated walls are available and may be used to create private offices which offer most of the amenities available in offices with site-built permanent walls. Such amenities include insulation for sound control, doors, and glass panels.
Prefabricated walls are popular with many building owners and tenants because they offer several advantages over conventional, site-built permanent walls. For example, the former are often less expensive because installation is generally handled by a single supplier or subcontractor whereas construction of site-built walls generally requires the coordination of several building trades. Prefabrication of the walls often allows them to be installed without interrupting or interfering with normal business activities. Initial erection time tends to be less with prefabricated walls than with site-built, permanent walls because the latter must be constructed on the job site from raw building materials. Furthermore, a variety of durable finishes requiring little or no maintenance may be applied to prefabricated walls at the factory. Prefabricated walls qualify for investment tax credit and accelerated depreciation under the tax laws, which result in further life-cycle cost advantages over site-built permanent walls.
The initial advantages of prefabricated walls are also applicable when they are rearranged in different configurations. As much as 90% to 100% of the materials in prefabricated walls are typically reusable, as compared with practically none of the materials in conventional wall systems.
The availability of various wall-mounted furniture components for prefabricated walls comprises yet another advantage over their site-built counterparts, and relates directly to the present invention. Such components include work surfaces, shelving, storage cabinets, bulletin boards and the like.
Prefabricated walls typically comprise vertical metal (e.g. extruded aluminum) studs with panels extending therebetween. The panels may be covered with vinyl, cloth or a variety of other materials. Glass panels and doors may also be provided between the studs.
The studs are also commonly employed for supporting the wall-hung furniture components. Regularly-spaced slots are typically provided in the studs or retainers connected thereto for this purpose. The components are mounted on the studs or retainers with inwardly-extending hooks or tabs which are received in the slots. Thus, the furniture components cantilever forwardly from the prefabricated walls that they are mounted on.
Presently, many of the leading manufacturers of prefabricated walls also manufacture their own wall-mounted components. Since most of the prefabricated wall manufacturers try to sell their customers complete installations including both walls and wall-hung components therefor, there is little or no incentive to standardize the component mounting arrangements so that the components of different manufacturers could be interchanged with the various walls. Thus, there are presently available walls and components from such major manufacturers as Glen O'Brien, Herman Miller, Haworth, Westinghouse, G. F. Furniture Systems, Steelcase, and Hauserman, each of which has its own configuration of tabs and slots for mounting the components. For example, the horizontal spacing between the slots and the vertical standards varies from 40 inches (G. F. Furniture Systems) to 47 11/16 inches (Herman Miller). Furthermore, the different manufactuers space their slots at vertical intervals ranging from 1 inch to 11/2 inches. Even the thickness of the tabs is not standardized.
Thus, in view of the aforementioned variable factors relating to the wsalls and components of major manufacturers, heretofore interchangeability has not been practical, even though many customers might prefer to select the best walls and components for their particular applications regardless of source. Cost savings might thus be realized by obtaining price quotations on walls and individual components and choosing the least expensive bids for all of the times required. For example, one manufacturer might be chosen for its superior walls and another for the wall-mounted components. Furthermore, prior to the availability of the present invention, it was impractical to upgrade or add to an existing installation except with the wall-mounted components of the original supplier, which thus had little incentive to competitively price its products for its "captive" customer.
Heretofore, there has not been available a system for mounting the components of various manufacturers on prefabricated walls with the advantageous and features of the present invention.